Many catering services make promises to fulfill the clients' expectations, to make their dreams come true etc. Any reputable and experienced caterer will pull out all the stops to ensure that this happens, however, as in any industry there are catering services which promise the earth only to disappoint on the day. It falls to the client to make an informed and well researched decision when selecting the catering company which will be responsible for the most important and probably most expensive aspect of organising the event. It is up to the caterer, after the initial first contact is made by the client, to gauge client requirements and decide if and how the company can bring this to fruition. In the initial contact conversation, the client must endeavor to give the caterer as much information as possible to help them to prepare a quote / proposal. Information such as proposed date of event, a general or approximate budget, guest numbers and location of venue (if booked). If there is any other information or preferences or ideas in mind, this is the time at which to bring them to the caterers attention. It gives the caterer a valuable insight into the vision and expectations of the client. It is important for the client to be solely budget driven. The caterer needs to understand the requirements for the proposed budget first of all and then to figure out if they can fulfill the criteria at the given amount.
There may well be room for compromise from both parties. If the first proposal does not match the budget, this is then the time to investigate and question. It may be that the client budget cannot afford the type of menu and service dictated by the selected venue. It may that the budget and number of expected guests does not match. The professional caterer will be able to explain their proposal in detail and clarify any issues. Hopefully at this point the catering company will create a new vision for the client, one more suited to the set budget and the type of event or come up with ways to fulfill the clients' ideas at the budget set.
After the initial phone call or email, the best way forward is to set up a meeting. This can either be at the caterers premises or at the booked venue. The location of this initial meeting is important, usually the preferred meeting place would be the caterers office. Any catering company which does not want the client to visit their site is to be question marked straight away. A visit to the premises will also aid the client in getting an impression of what the catering company has to offer. It is true that it is very difficult for a caterer to sell their product to a client who has not already experienced firsthand their food and service. To help the client in this decision, the caterer should have their site ready for inspection, a professional setup, record of food hygiene and safety practices and references from venues and past clients. As the saying goes, first impressions last. Another absolute essential point is that this is an opportunity for the caterer to build rapport with the client. If it is at this meeting that the proposal is discussed, then the professional caterer will be working hard to reassure the client of the company’s capabilities and to gain the clients trust.
Curry Special Ltd is an established catering company, for more information on catering services please call 020 8518 3003.